I’ve been recommending the HTC One M8 to friends since the day I unboxed mine. If you’ve been thinking about getting one yourself, then today’s the day to pull out your credit card and save $100. For one day only, HTC has reduced the price of its latest flagship to just $99 when you take out a new two-year contract.
For a high-end smartphone, the Galaxy S5 feels a little… cheap. I absolutely love mine; it’s one of the best Android phones I’ve ever owned thanks to its super speedy processor, stunning display, and excellent 16-megapixel camera. But I choose to carry the HTC One M8 instead. It’s just as capable in almost every way, and its sleek aluminum form factor is a joy to hold.
Like many of its predecessors and siblings, the Galaxy S5 has received criticism for its plastic design, and now the man who oversaw it is moving on. Chang Dong-hoon, head of Samsung’s mobile design center, will be replaced by vice president of mobile design Lee Min-Hyuk.
To commemorate the launch of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, HTC has teamed up with the folks over at Marvel to create an ultra-rare S.H.I.E.L.D. Edition of its flagship smartphone of 2014 — if you’re a Captain America fan, then this is definitely the smartphone for you.
Inspired by Motorola’s excellent Active Display functionality on the Moto X, Peek Notifications in Paranoid Android provide users with a glimpse at outstanding alerts on their lock screen even when their smartphone is locked. All you have to do is lift your phone, and you can see whether you have missed calls, text messages, emails, and other important notifications waiting for you without actually having to wake up your device.
Until now, Peek has been available only with the Paranoid Android custom ROM — but you can now get it as an unofficial standalone app compatible with almost all devices running Android 4.4 KitKat.
The HTC One M8 is by far the prettiest Android-powered smartphone money can buy. Its sleek aluminum form factor makes its plastic-packing rivals look even tackier, and it’s one of the few phones I can think of that actually feels like it is worth its premium price tag. The only handset that comes close in terms of design is its predecessor, the original One (M7).
So, how do you make it even prettier? Paint it pink, of course. And that’s exactly what HTC plans to do with its latest flagship.
